Envelop-fastener.



ffm. 761,911.. PATENTBD JUNE?, 1904.'

I.r L. RHEUTAN-.i BNVBLOP FASTENBR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3.0, 1/903.

N0 MODEL.

VM/MM 'Ely Pity Patented J une 7, 1904.

PATENT Orro ISAAC L. RHEUTAN, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

ENVELOP-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 761,911, dated J' une7, 1904.V

Application led J'nly 30, 1903. Serial No. 167,553. V(No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, IsAAo L. RHEUTAN, of the city of Richmond, county ofHenrico, and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Envelop-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, and in which- Figure 1 represents what is commonly knownas a merchandise-envelop with my improved fastener applied thereto, thetop iiap being shown open preparatory to placing the printed matter ormerchandise therein y and sealing the same. Fig. 2 is a similar view toFig. 1, with said top `Hap folded over and fastened. Fig. 3 represents,upon an enlarged scale, a transverse section taken on line a, Fig. 1looking in the direction of arrow a', all the following iigures being onthe same enlarged scale. Fig. L1 represents my improved fastener inblank form preparatory to bending My invention relates to metalfasteners, andV more especially to those made from sheet metal, for useon what are commonly termed merchandise-envelops whose top iiap is notgummed, but provided with an eyeleted opening toreceive the prongs ofthe fastener in fastening said top iiap to the body of the envelop.

Said invention consists of a fastener whose body in blank form isprovided with a fas tening-clip at both ends of the body portion, withtwo oppositely-proiecting prongs extending at right angles from oppositesides of said body and clips formed on the body in alinement with saidprongs, as and for the purpose hereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable others to better understand the nature and purpose of my saidinvention, I will now proceed to describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, A represents an ordinary manila merchandise-envelopmade in the usual way and having the usual ungummed open flap A' at thetop, which is provided with the eye* leted opening B.

C represents my improved metal fastener, whose prongs C/ C are passedthrough said eyeleted opening B in fastening the flap A', as hereinafterdescribed. Said fastener C consists of the central part or body G2. theaforesaid prongs C (I, the side clips C3 (f, and the end clips C4 (1*.YThe prongs C C project at right angles from opposite sides of the bodyC2 in this instance, the inner edges thereof being shown in alinement.These long prongs C C have their inner edges C5 substantially inalinement. By inner edges it will be seen from Fig. 4 of the drawingsthat the longitudinal edges of such prongs nearerthe center portion ofthe body C2 are intended. rI`he clips C4 C1 are formed by bending theends of body A, as is shown by the last four figures of the drawings,and the clips C3 C3 by eX- tending a portion of the metal out from eachside of body A upon the opposite side of and in alinement with theprongs C C'. By this construction of employing four .fasteningclips, oneon each side of body A,`said body and its prongs may be held securelyupon all four sides, and thus prevents the fastener from becoming looseor readily torn from the envelop after having been fastened thereto. Itwill be observed that by arranging the long prongs, as shown, with theirinner edges in alinement it admits of the clips C3 C3 being arranged inalinement with said prongs on opposite sides of said body, therebyreinforcing the prongs and holding the device securely in position inthe operation of bending said prongs to fasten the loose flap of theenvelop.

In securing the fastener to the envelop the clips C3 C3 CLC* are passedthrough the body t near the open end thereof and then bent against theinner surface of said envelop to hold them thereto, as is shown in Figs.3 and 5, the body of the fastener being located at the proper place toadmit of its prongs being passed through the eyeleted opening in iiap A@when the latter is folded down against said body; as is shown in Fig. 2.rIhe fastener is designed to come centrally between ,the two sides ofthe envelop and near the open end thereof, as previously stated andshown In fastening the iiap A' in Figs. 1 and Q.

IOO

down the prongs C C are passed through the eyeleted opening B, said llapfolded against the body of the envelop, and said prongs then bent downagainst the outer surface of the iap in a similar nianner to otherfasteners of this class. The construction of the fastener is sueh, aswill be obviously seen, as to bring one of the side clips C3 and part ofthe two end clips C'1 C* through the usual central double overlappingedge D of the envelop, and thereby greatly facilitates holding thefastener securely from being torn from said envelop. The fastener whenthus secured, as aforesaid, is firmly held against any lateral strain bythe end elips Cl C* and against the strain imparted by bending` theprongs in fastening down the ap A by the side clips C C3. rlhis featureof holding the fastener against the pressure of bending the prongs, inconjunction with that of holding' said fastener against lateral strain,is the essential feature and advantage Which l. claim for iny inventionover' the eornrnon Well-known envelop-fasteners of this class. I do not,however, clairn broadly the use of a metal faspurpose.

tener for the purpose described, as there are several fasteners ofdili'erent constructions patented and in use employed for the same ltherefore liniit rny invention to the specilic construction set forthand pointed out in the elaiin. i

Having described said invention, what l claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isM

An envelop-fastener, consisting' of the main body whose ends formholding-clips adapted to be passed through the envelop and bent againstthe innersurface thereof, long prongs projecting laterally from oppositesides of said body, whose inner edges are snbstantially in alineinent,and holding-clips projecting laterally from opposite sides ot thebody,one side clip being in alineinent with one prong, and the other with theother prong, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ISAAC L. Rl l ICUTAN.

\Vitnesses:

(. R. Eynnn'r'r, W. B. GOODWIN.

